


El Diablo

by Prince_Ofluff



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mob, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Barista Will, M/M, Romeo and Juliet References, Younger Will Graham
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-03
Updated: 2019-04-17
Packaged: 2019-06-04 18:55:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15153488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Prince_Ofluff/pseuds/Prince_Ofluff
Summary: Will wants out of the life, the neighborhood and the town that his father lives in. Drugs, violence all of that he wants to leave behind but he can't seem to get away.Hannibal is known as The Count and rules the underworld of Baltimore with a regal fist.One chance meeting.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Fault in My Code](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10505733) by [LiaS0](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiaS0/pseuds/LiaS0). 



> WHY DO I DO THIS. New Story. Lots that need to be updated. Yet here we are.
> 
> Thank you all for your interest in this story I hope that you will like it! 
> 
> Inspired by the universe of LiaSo where when soulmates lock eyes the next day they wake up and one of their eyes have changed!

Two households, both alike in dignity

(In fair Verona, where we lay our scene),

From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,

Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.

 

-Romeo and Juliet, Will Shakespeare

 

 

The mugger was a flash of surprise in the dark with his blade glinting in the streetlights and his desperation making him faster than Hannibal suspected. He dodged the blade by instinct alone but it still cut along his arm. He stifled the growl that rose in his throat. Instead saving his energy to strangle and dismember this pig who _dared_ raise a hand against him.

If the man had not been quite so drunk he would have realized that it wasn’t just a well dressed businessman he was assaulting but Hannibal Lecter who every lowlife and drug lord in the city knew owned this territory. They called him The Count with hushed breaths and wide eyes. He could be charming, and was unfailingly polite whether he was hosting a lavish dinner party or cutting the flesh from people who thought they could cross him.

Before Hannibal could get his hands on the man’s throat there was a shout from down the street. The sound of sneakers on wet cement momentarily registered in Hannibal’s mind but his attention was mainly focused on the man in front of him.

“Hey!”

At the shout Hannibal pushed the man away from him and deigned to look in the stranger’s direction. It was a young man with a head full of curls and crooked glasses. His eyes though were sharp beneath what Hannibal suspected were fake lenses and he had more strength in his lithe body than it looked if he was to judge by the pace he was approaching them at.

There was no recognition in the young man’s face as he looked to Hannibal and then the drunk. He kept trying to avert his eyes which Hannibal was quick to note. A rarity in a society where one could find their soulmate by their eyes changing color. It was commonly accepted when meeting new people in almost any situation to take a long look in their eyes and then note something about them in case the next morning one should wake up and see their left eye had changed color. Instead this man as soon as he got close to Hannibal and the drunk seemed determined to look away from the eyes and adjusted his glasses to make sure the lenses were straight. “Are you alright?”

It occurred to Hannibal that the stranger had seen him being attacked and had run to the rescue, which in this part of town was not at all advisable. Too often the good Samaritan was punished for his assistance by either the attacker or the victim.  If not both. It was a hard part of town and any kindness could be seen as weakness and then be brutally taken advantage of.

“Yes...I believe this man has had a few too many and sought to relieve me of my wallet.” Hannibal said lightly even as he made note of the man’s features. There would be time enough to hunt him down later. If this was his regular spot for mugging it would be even simpler.

The young man looked at the drunk and frowned “You’re not getting anyone’s money tonight Barney, just go home.” His tone was firm and familiar and Hannibal effortlessly memorized the name.

The would be mugger, Barney, mumbled under his breath about meddlers and do gooders but ambled off into the direction of some ramshackle apartments. The stranger watched him go before turning to Hannibal, looking at Hannibal’s ear as he spoke “Sorry about him. He gets too drunk and then he wants to bring some money home to his wife so she won’t be pissed at him. She’s pissed either way but the money helps when you have a few kids to feed.”

Hannibal was unmoved by the man’s plight. If anything by removing him there would be no more drain on the family’s resources and perhaps they stood a better chance in the future. That was no longer as interesting to him as the young man in front of him however. He would recall the mugger at a later time when he needed a diversion. Right now he had another focus entirely. “Of course…Might I ask you your name? It’s rare to find someone who would put themselves at risk for a stranger in these parts.” He kept his own name to himself, if his face wasn’t recognized the name surely would be.

 The young man seemed to radiate agitation now that they were alone. Perhaps saving him had been an impulse and now that he was the only one with attention being paid to them it grated on him. “Will Graham, I just live up the block here and was coming home from my shift when I saw you.” He didn’t argue that no one else would have interfered.

In the dim yellow streetlight Hannibal saw that the man’s eyes were blue, he was sure they were even more brilliant in the light of day.

Their eyes caught for a moment and he had the pleasure of watching as Will’s widened in fear. He let his gaze linger for a moment, drawing out the connection before slowly turning his head away. Any casual observer would have noticed the dislike of eye contact and it would be rude to continue to stare. He had a passing thought of what he would do if his eyes changed. He had never allowed another to mark or change him in any way since he was a boy and he could not perceive permitting that to change in the future.

The sound of the neighborhood filled their silence as there was distant shouting and car alarms. Someone broke some glass and there was drunken laughter. Will shuffled on his feet and looked up just passed Hannibal again. “Well be safe getting home. You’re dressed too nicely to wander around here.” He gave the parting remark as his eyes drifted from the shoulder of Hannibal’s suit down to his polished leather shoes.

Hannibal nodded “Good night to you Will Graham. Again I’m grateful for your assistance.”

He turned and left though he paused and disappeared around a corner so he could see which apartment Will wandered into. Will had only done one quick look over his shoulder before running up the steps of one  building marked 247. He pressed the broken buzzer and was let in, swallowed in the pale light of the door and disappearing from the darkness.

Hannibal waited a moment longer before continuing his walk to his car. He had come for to settle some business and it was settled. He looked forward to returning home to the meal he had started preparing and a good glass of wine. His mind lingered on dark curls and blue eyes shining in the night.

 

Will got home and made sure to lock the door and rattle it a little before turning his way back into the cramped apartment. It was a bit messy but then again it usually was. Neither he nor his father were too inclined to housework and Will just did the bare minimum to make sure they weren’t living like complete slobs.

His father was storming around the room yelling at someone on the phone. He could tell that whatever had happened was bad because his drawl was thick and he was slipping into Cajun more than usual. Will sighed and hurried to his room. Whatever business his father got mixed in now he wanted no part of it. Most likely it was some sort of drug deal or business venture that fell through. Bill Graham was ruthless and greedy but he didn’t always have the best business sense.

Will went into his room and smiled as Winston barked up at him. It had been a fight with his father to allow him to keep the dog he had found, but it was worth it. Winston spent most of his day locked up in Will’s room waiting until before or after Will got off of  work for a walk and a break. On his day’s off it helped for Will to have an excuse to get out of the apartment and out of his father’s way.

He rubbed Winston’s fur and thought about the man that he had helped outside. He looked so out of place that he had caught Will’s eye immediately. Then he had realized the situation he was in and had run over before he had really even thought about it. He was honest enough to say that while he wouldn’t walk away from someone in trouble he normally wouldn’t go bursting in like that either. His thoughts were disturbed however when his father came charging into his room. Normally he would at least knock before coming in but there was a look in his eye that had Will biting his tongue to call him out on his rudeness.

“Will your cousin Mark is dead. He crossed The Count now he’s strung up like a bloody scarecrow two blocks over. I need you to get your ass in gear and run me some errands.”  There was no grief in his words just anger. No doubt he was less upset about his nephew getting killed than he was about losing one of his high running men. Bill Graham didn’t run a big circle but it was strong and stable. Nothing like The Count’s but he liked to think he controlled his own neighborhood. With this murder happening right in his territory against his own family no less he was no doubt looking to strike back.

Will could hardly believe how stupid his father was being; then again he could though he didn’t want to. “Whatever Mark did to piss off The Count he probably deserved it. Everyone knows that he doesn’t make moves like that without reason and he wouldn’t make such a display of it if he wasn’t trying to get a rise out of you. Just leave it and he’ll move on.”

The strike came without warning and Winston barked but Will roughly held him back. If he so much as nipped at his father then there was no protecting him while Will was gone.

“Look here boy. I don’t mind you being a coward and having a legal job if you don’t have the stomach for our business. But if someone strikes against our family I expect you to at least man up enough to help us back. Its blood boy it all comes down to blood; and ours has been spilt so I want some in return.” He stormed out no doubt expecting Will to do as he bid now that he had made his point.

Will rubbed his face and winced at the bruise that was already growing. This is why he hated this town and this part of it. There was no escaping this kind of life. He had to go far out of the area for his measly café job but while he was there he could pretend that he was separate from this. That he was somehow better than petty grudges and meaningless violence. Times like this reminded him that as long as he lived under this roof and had even the tiniest connection he could be dragged back within a moment.

He gave Winston’s fur a soft stroke and kissed his head as the dog whimpered and licked at his cheek. “Come on boy, we got some work to do and I don’t trust you here with him right now.”

He got the list of people he’s supposed to run down from his father on his way out who doesn’t say another word to him. Will looked it over and knew it was going to be a long night before he would be done and he was certain to be tired for his shift tomorrow. As he left the apartments he found himself unconsciously looking to the spot where the stranger had been earlier but then hurried about his way.

For the moment he completely forgot that they had made prolonged eye contact and what that might mean for him in the morning.

 

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An update! I hope you guys like it! Some more drama will be happening in the next chapter! Sorry for the delay I actually got a short story published recently and it's been very exciting. Please let me know if you are interested in the publication details! Thank you!

 

 

 

Hannibal rose the next morning and took stock of himself before even moving an inch out of bed.  Everything seemed to be in order and there were no signs of any upcoming distress such as a cough or cold. Not that he expected it but it was wise to be vigilant none the less.

He had a few hours of sleep as he had gotten home quite late last night after his outing.  Mark LeBeau had made a slight against him by trying to very clumsily trying to spy on him. It had been short order for him to be alerted to the situation and he had decided to deal with the matter personally. It had been some time since he had been shown such insolence and he had relished in reminding this city exactly who he was.

As his mind left the tableau he had created it then wandered to the young man he had met the night before. This was the other reason he had taken a moment upon awakening. The young man and his strange aversion to eyes had intrigued him. His kindness had also been noted even if it was a bit foolish. But a mystery was far more tantalizing to him and it had not escaped his attention that his last name had been _Graham_.

He removed himself from the bed and changed into his morning clothes. A simple sweater and slacks for while he was around his home and then he would change into a suit if there was any business that he needed to attend to. He supposed he could expect some sort of retribution from Bill Graham who believed himself to run the neighborhood he was in last night. From reports he understood Bill Graham to be unremarkable and uninspiring in his basic greed. He was also prideful and vain and that was a combination almost assuring some sort of strike back. As pathetic as it was destined to be Hannibal found himself intrigued to see what might come of it.

He stood before his mirror and his body became perfectly still as he took in his complete appearance.

His left eye was now blue.

 

 

Will woke up late and groaned as he rolled over on his small bed and was greeted with Winston’s morning breath. Normally Winston would lie near his feet and knew better than to crowd Will. They had been out late last night and his father hadn’t been happy when Will had returned saying that very few were willing to strike at the Count with him.

Bill Graham always remembered the debts owed to him as greater than they actually were so Will hadn’t been too surprised but his father had been incensed.

Checking the time he realized that he had his own job to get to if he wanted to keep it and hurried into the bathroom. His father had opened a bottle of whiskey last night and it was still clutched in his hand, now empty, were he lay on the couch. At least he wouldn’t be getting in Will’s way this morning.

Winston watched him lazily from the bed as Will hunted down some jeans and a plaid shirt he could throw on. It was fortunate really that his style read as ‘hipster chic’ once you put him in a coffee house with an apron on. He looked in the mirror to attempt some sort of order with his hair but stopped cold as he looked at his eyes.

His left eye was maroon.

 

 

Hannibal prided himself on being ready for any eventuality or outcome. He had contacts specially made should such this situation occur and looking in the mirror he was certain that only someone with his astute observations would be able to discern that his eyes didn’t exactly match.

It wasn’t an uncommon practice many people hid their mis matched eyes and it could be for several reasons. Protection, denial, aesthetics, the list went on. He had changed from his sweater into a suit deciding that he was going to go out today after all. If he was going to have a soul mate he wanted to see what he could discern about the young man. This was a much more interesting development than seeing what Bill Graham would do in response to his nephew’s death. He idly wondered about William’s opinion on the matter and how close he was with his father. No matter he would learn shortly.

 

Will ran into work and was beyond relieved when he saw that Beverly was opening with him. She gave him a cheery wave but when she saw the look on his face she hurried over. The shop opened in a half an hour for the first of the early morning rush but there were more pressing matters on his mind at the moment.

“Will what’s wrong... oh my god!” She glanced at his eyes and hurried around the counter.

Will was nearly shaking. He couldn’t believe it had happened. There was no way that he had finally met his soul mate. Not to mention it was some creepy fuck in a suit that looked like he had been about five seconds away from killing Barney last night.

Will looked at his friend and said softly “What am I going to do? My dad didn’t see this morning but there’s no telling how long I can hide it…and I don’t even know who the guy was I just bumped into him last night and we happened to look at each other.” Will’s shoulders slumped. He didn’t get the man’s name but that was of little concern to him. As far as his soul mate went he could fuck right off and Will wouldn’t care. His dad couldn’t know and Will wouldn’t let this ruin his plans to get out.

While his mind was in turmoil Beverly collected herself and hurried to the store to buy some cheap cosmetic contacts. Those coupled with the fake glasses Will usually wore and they were sure no one could tell.

 

The day went by in a haze and Will tried to distract himself with meaningless customers and there even more meaningless orders.  Beverly kept an eye on him as best as she could but she had her own orders to fill and her own tips to make. By the time it was the end of the afternoon rush Will felt as though his soul were ready to leave his body.

Beverly gave him a sympathetic shoulder bump. “Hey come on it isn’t that bad…You probably don’t even have to go looking for him. There’s no way he would forget a face like yours.” She gave him a wink and a scone to munch on and hurried him to his break. He appreciated the small mercy and went to sit at a nearby park and clear his head.

He had a soul mate.

Some part of him had wondered if he would ever run into someone the great universe had decided was his perfect match. He didn’t believe it really. There were so many people in the world that never met their matches. It was more regular to meet them of course; but not unheard of to go without. Though there was usually a touch of sympathy for those going at it alone in the world.

His plans had been simple but ambitious for someone wanting to get away from his neighborhood and his father’s bullying control. He wanted to save up enough money for his own apartment as far away as he could afford and then maybe start working to get into school. He had barely managed to graduate high school with the stunts his father liked to pull with his attendance, but besides that his grades had been solid and his test scores good. There was still a chance he could make something of himself.

 

Watching Will Graham had been…informative. Shortly after leaving his townhouse he had retraced his steps back to the neighborhood he had visited last night. He was an early riser and as such most of the tenets hadn’t been out of bed yet.

That had not been the case for William it seemed.

He was out of bed, dressed, and catching a bus to the other side of town. It was too dark to see his eyes and Hannibal wondered what his first response to seeing his eye on another would be.  He followed in his car, amused by the slow crawl of pedestrian traffic, he was far enough behind Will’s bus that by the time he arrived at his destination the coffee shop was open and bustling for business.

He was wary of slipping in, sure that Will would notice and remember him from last night. So instead he watched. The young man seemed distracted all morning but from the circles under his eyes he assumed that Bill Graham had kept his son busy the night before. Chiyoh had already informed him through his phone and several messages that Will’s father was trying together resources to strike back at him. Rash and bold but fitting what he knew of the old man.

Finally Will left with a small bag for lunch and went to park to sit on a bench. He seemed absorbed in a world of his own and Hannibal wondered where his mind went. He sent Chiyoh instructions that he wanted all available information on Will Graham as soon as possible. As usual she did not question the request and sent him the files promptly.

 

As he read through Will’s school transcripts, his attempts at getting loans, and most intriguing perhaps were the notes from his guidance counselor Hannibal Lecter came to the conclusion that his soul mate was _fascinating_.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading more to come!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally an update! I hope you like it and thank you for your patience!

 

 

 

William had covered up his eye.

 

Hannibal wasn’t sure how he should feel about that. More telling perhaps was that through his observations it seemed that Will had no intention of finding the man whose eye he now held.

Interesting. Fascinating.

Yet vaguely insulting. Almost _rude_.

 

And yet not.

 

Hannibal’s expression made no outward changes as he continued to observe Will at work. It was therapeutic to watch him make order after order. His body automatically responding and creating drinks that the Asian woman told him but from his expression his mind seemed to be elsewhere.

Like the first day he had watched Will Graham, Hannibal found himself wondering where Will went.

None of his coworkers seemed to be too perturbed by it so it must be a usual circumstance. Not brought on by his eye color change then but something more common than that. In fact as far as Hannibal could tell William hadn’t changed his schedule in the slightest since the day he woke with a maroon eye.

Hannibal realized that he was clutching his cup hard enough that the cardboard was starting to dent under his fingertips and he slowly relaxed his hold and inwardly frowned at his lack of discipline. It seemed that it was true soulmates brought all sorts of responses out of their other halves.

He wondered what sort of response he brought out in Will.

He relaxed against the bench and continued to watch.

 

Bill Graham was trying to make a move against him and it seemed that he was dragging his reluctant son along with him. From what Chiyoh had informed him it was known that Will wanted nothing to do with his father’s ‘business’ and yet he was unable to leave due to his circumstances. Since he lived with his father Will was occasionally involved with the man’s activities though it was mostly errand work and message taking. From what her sources say Mark who had been Grahams’ nephew was supposed to be his right hand man and his first pick to take over when the time came.

Right now it seemed Will was doing his best to save up and attend community college. A difficult task but not an impossible one. Hannibal found himself admiring his soulmate despite himself. He was a survivor, but more than that he was trying to _overcome_.  Hannibal supposed he could make a small overture of his interest.

 

 

Will stared at the letter in front of him with disbelief. He had been accepted into the local college which hadn’t surprised him; he had been more interested in hearing back about loans or the annual cost of attendance. Instead there was a letter informing him that all his costs had been covered by a ‘benefactor’ and that his books were paid for and available for pick up at the campus bookstore as well as his schedule for the next semester. Someone had gone ahead and arranged and paid for everything all he had to do was keep his grades up.

He wondered who the hell might do something like for him and what the hell they might want. He had thought maybe he would have to save up for a year at a time if the grants or loans didn’t go through. Take a year then work a year until he had something of a degree and then could find work and a place far away from here. Someone had removed that obstacle for him and he wanted to know who.

He also didn’t trust good things that came out of nowhere. In his experience there was always a cost or some hidden strings attached. He had a hard time believing that all this mysterious benefactor wanted out of him was to keep his grades at a reasonable level. He wasn’t too proud to take the money though, he was just curious what the real cost was.

 

Chiyoh wasn’t privy to why Hannibal had decided to apparently stalk a barista from a low grade coffee shop but that sort of information never mattered to her. She knew that he had some sort of connection to Bill Graham but she didn’t think that was it.  Still she passed the information over to Hannibal as requested and added “He is cautious that one.”

Hannibal looked up at her and waited for the rest. Chiyoh wasn’t the type to waste words or time.

“He’s looking into your donation. One of his friends seems to be fairly talented with computers and is trying to trace the donation to a bank account in order to find out who was behind it. They won’t find anything besides one of our generic corporate accounts. It might even look like he won a scholarship.” Which had been Chiyoh’s original suggestion just to avoid this kind of scrutiny. She was wise enough not to say this of course.

Hannibal gave her a small private smile. She was one of the few people who could even passively berate him. He was well aware that it was his pride and ego that had made sure the donation went in as a private benefactor rather than a corporation giving a scholarship. He had to admit he was curious how Will would respond. So far he had not disappointed. “And if his friend digs deeper than that?”

Chiyoh gave a small shrug. There were layers and layers to their encryptions.  They would have to dig pretty far to find any trace of Hannibal Lecter behind the donation.

 

 

Zeller gave a low whistle as he pulled away from his laptop. “Okay I found your fairy godmother, or I should say god _father_ , but you’re not going to like it. Are you sure you don’t want to just take it and run?”

Will gave a flat look and Zeller sighed. He wasn’t really sure _he_ wanted to be involved in this but Will had paid him a hundred bucks up front and no one around here was really swimming in money.

“Okay so I found out that the money came from a corporation that was so generic I could have pulled it from an internet ad. So I went past that and found that it was linked to another corporation with a similar generic name, did that a few times until I found where the approval for the transfer of funds came from. All the money is entirely separate but the approval is what moved the money and I just have to repeat this is the _part I don’t think you’re going to like_ and I would advise against going any further.”

Will tried to hold onto his fraying nerves. Money or no Zeller really hadn’t had to do this for him and they both knew it. “I just want to know Z and then I promise I’ll leave you out of it.”

Zeller nodded “Okay remember that you said that. Because the approval for transfer? It came from an account at Lecter Holdings. That’s it.” He disconnected his laptop and ran a cleaning program. He wanted any trace of him far away from that server as possible.

 

Will stared at his friend with his hidden mismatched eyes and felt a cold weight settle into his stomach. He knew it. Nothing good came in this life for free. He just couldn’t figure out what the purpose was for helping him with his school. Was Lecter trying to buy him? Everyone knew he had next to nothing to do with his father’s  business and surely nothing would send up more red flags than him all the sudden getting invested. Which school paid or not he was not going to do. “Can you send it back?”

 

Brian stared at him and gestured to the computer wildly “What did I just say?!”

 

Will nodded. Z was right. He had to handle this on his own.

Zeller watched the look on Will’s face and wondered if it was too late to tell Beverly without her ripping his gonads off with her bare hands. Probably.

 

His soulmate was tenacious Hannibal had to give Will that. He was currently sitting on a bench outside of Lecter Holdings which was a legal aspect of his work and apparently watching the comings and goings. If Hannibal had any doubt that Will had nothing to do with his father’s business this only proved it. It was an amateur attempt at observation at best, he had a newspaper and sunglasses and even a hat. It was charming in a way but clearly Will was far out of his league.

“How long are you going to have him sit out there?” Chiyoh gave a rare voice to her curiosity. The boy was more resourceful than she had given credit for.

“He doesn’t even know who he is waiting for. He might have found that the transfer came from our accounts but it could have been anyone of the many people in this building. I suppose is he is trying to decide the next step himself.” Hannibal watched him a moment longer before turning away “It will be interesting to see how long he will wait. And what he might be looking for.”

 

Will waited the entire day until the building was empty and darkening for the night. He sat on the bench the newspaper forgotten as he stared at the building through his sunglasses though the sun had long set. It was a fair night, fall was only beginning to grace them so there was a faint chill but he had a coat and scarf to warm himself with.

He was staring at a figure silhouetted in light. One of the only remaining people in the building and the hairs on the back of Will’s neck said they were staring out at the window directly at him. He packed up and left. He would be back. He wasn’t sure what he was waiting for, but he felt he would know when he saw it. Or _them_.

 

The next day roses appeared at his work with a note.

_Persistence can be charming._

There was no name.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More should come soon now that I'm on a regular writing schedule again! Thank you!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An update!!! We are starting to see some developments in this chapter. I know it's a bit of a slow burn but I hope you are enjoying it! Thank you for reading!

  


  


  


Beverly had cooed about the roses so loudly that Will had said she should take them if she liked them that much.

She slapped him on the shoulder and told him to stop being rude. He couldn’t help but shrug in response. There was no way he could bring these home and the owner of the coffee shop was bound to get annoyed with them sooner or later. Will felt a little bit guilty about just throwing them away. They were beautiful and no doubt expensive. They also meant that someone was watching him.

The fact that they were roses made him think that the man in the suit had found him and his soul mate was courting him. The words made him think of Lecter Holdings and the ‘mysterious benefactor’. He didn’t like what his brain was telling him.

 

 

Hannibal stared down at the flowers in the trash bin and felt a few emotions quite strongly. Anger at his gift being just thrown aside which was an understandable response and one that he was more familiar with. Rejection which one could only expect in these circumstances. And… disappointment. He had known quite quickly that Will was…not exactly personable, but he wasn’t rude. He wasn’t cold.

Hannibal’s fingers clenched briefly at his side before he noticed a note tucked in the wrapping of the flowers. The card he had sent had been cream paper with black ink. This looked like white paper possibly pulled from one of the café’s registers.

His curiosity burning and his other emotions lowering to a simmer Hannibal reached forward with one of his gloved hands and gently pulled the paper out.

 

To whom it may concern:

Thank you very much for the flowers. I’m assuming if you’re watching me enough to give them to me then you probably saw me throw them out. I’m not trying to be rude but there’s no real way for me to keep them safely. My boss will be annoyed at them taking room up in the shop and my home isn’t really an option.

Also if you want to give me something that will really impress me a name is a good way to start. Rather than bribes and flattery.

Just a thought.

Will

 

Hannibal’s smile was small but pleased. He tucked the note firmly in his pocket where it wouldn’t fall out and turned to leave the roses where they laid. They had done their assigned task after all. More than that he had more insight into his soul mate. Will Graham was a man who used words exactly, but what spoke his heart more truthfully were his actions.

Hannibal had sent a dozen red roses.

Only eleven were in the bin.

 

 

Will was unabashedly hiding in his room as he stared at the rose he had taken. Seeing them lying in the bin he hadn’t been able to help himself from taking just one. He supposed it would be easier to hide and maybe he could even dry it.

Winston sniffed at the flower curiously and Will smiled as he gently pushed him away. “No eating.” He couldn’t imagine what the petals would do to him let alone the thorns.

He could hear his father yelling outside of his room where he had gathered a few of his men. Will wondered if it was worth the risk to walk out the front door and possibly get roped into a task or just go out the window. He eyed the window and heard his father’s yelling increase. Window it was.

 

 

Hannibal observed William sneaking out of his bedroom window via the no doubt out of inspection fire escape. Most like Beau was getting ready to strike back at him and Will wanted to avoid any involvement. Clever boy, though reckless.

The ladder wiggled precariously and Hannibal found his hands clenching the steering wheel despite himself. Will’s sneakers were thin and provided poor traction as the slid against the metal bars. Foreseeing what was about to happen Hannibal found himself slamming the car door and rushing to catch Will just as he slipped and lost his holdings.

He braced for impact even as he internally wondered at his lack of control. Again the thought of soul mates affecting each other came to mind and his curiosity wondered what Will might be experiencing.

Will gasped as he hit sturdy arms rather than hard cement and looked up into a familiar face. “Hi…”

Hannibal stared down at Will and saw that the contacts he was using to hide his eyes were obscured further by his glasses but they did not stand up to a deep scrutiny. He was taken with the sudden urge to take out the contact hiding his color eye to see what it looked like on Will’s face.

“We must stop running into each other like this. Your neighbors will talk.” Hannibal tilted his head as he spoke and his hands unconsciously tightened on Will. Being this close was…more difficult than Hannibal had realized.

 

Feeling the fingers closing in Will roughly pulled away and set his feet firmly on the ground. “Thanks…Looks like we’re even.” He looked away and firmly did not look back at the nice suit’s face.  This was the man he thought might be his soul mate. He was the only one that he remembered making eye contact with the day before his eyes changed. Yet Will could see that his eyes remained the same dark color they were that night. So did that mean that someone else was his soul mate? Or was he one of those unfortunate souls that only one person matched? That seemed likely as he thought about it. He mumbled thanks and hurried away.

 

Hannibal found his hand remaining outstretched even as William dashed away. No doubt he had seen that Hannibal’s eyes had not changed (at least to his quick glance); and Hannibal had sensed resignation from him. He watched him go before prudence urged him to return to his car. With Beau Graham trying to marshal forces against him (pathetic though it was destined to be) it would not be wise to give him home turf advantage. Hannibal returned to the car even if his gaze kept wandering to the hand that had reached for Will.

 

 

“His eyes didn’t change Beverly.”

Will had run nearly all the way across town before his energy faded and the moroseness sapped him. He had taken a bus the remaining distance to the shop and Beverly had just been getting off. She stared at him with a frown “How could that happen? You’re eyes changed, his should have too. Maybe it was someone else?”

She was repeating all the thoughts that he had already tried and Will bleakly shook his head. “No…I didn’t look at anyone else that day. It had to be him. I guess it’s just a half match.”

Realistically Will knew that he should have been happy that he was only half matched. That meant that he could continue his plan to work his way out of his father’s control and into a life of his own choosing. Still he couldn’t deny that this was something that whether someone was cynical or not they waited their whole lives for their eyes to change. Now his had, and the moment reveled that he wasn’t a fit enough match for anyone.

Beverly gave him a soft pat on the shoulder. “Hey you never know. Maybe it’s a delayed match, or maybe he got some contacts too.” She gave him a smile and slid a hot chocolate his way “Here take this, it’s getting cold out and I don’t need my best friend freezing to death.” She winked at him and Will took a small sip.

“Thanks Bev. I don’t think he covered his up, who would do that besides me?” He shook his head and tried not to think about being unmatchable.

 

Instead he thought about Lecter Holdings. If the random gifts weren’t from his soul mate trying to court him then it was The Count trying to sway him. But for what purpose? He wondered if his note would get any kind of response and tried not to get too excited about what that response might be or what it would mean.

He didn’t realize that as he was thinking he was biting his thumb until he bit hard enough to draw blood.      


  


  


  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More to come soon! Thank you for reading!


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